There are different purposes for which you can use a digital certificate. You can use this type of certificate when you want to digitally sign documents and files and make sure they are secure. Without the proper certificate the signed documents and files cannot be accessed. Digital signatures are often used for financial documents, proprietary data files and other types of information that need to be kept confidential.
A Digital Certificate Can Be Used as a Second Form of Authentication
You can use a digital certificate to add a second layer of authentication to your computer resources and applications. This second form of authentication can be used on your local network and for web-based applications. After a person logs in using their user name and password, they are asked for the correct certificate. Once they select the right certificate, the certificate is authenticated against the system. As long as the certificate matches, the user is granted access. If the wrong certificate is picked or the user does not have one, they are prevented from signing into the system.